Christie’s have announced that they will offer a lost work by the great Italian master Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) at the evening auction of Important Old Master and British Pictures on 2 December 2008 in London. One of the most exciting and extraordinary discoveries of recent years, it was found in the attic of a French château where it had been hidden by the grandparents of the present owners due to the semi-naked subject. The present work is previously unpublished and is probably from a series of pictures commissioned by Empress Elizabeth of ... Read the full story

Rare Sargent to be Offered with American Paintings at Bonhams New York on December 3rd An exceptional selection of no fewer than five paintings by American Impressionist Richard Edward Miller and an early study for a John Singer Sargent masterpiece have collectors eagerly awaiting Bonhams New York’s December 3rd American Paintings sale. Sargent’s study Head of a Spanish Musician is perhaps the most talked about lot of the sale. The oil on canvas sketch is signed and dates from the period when Sargent was in Spain at work on his masterpiece El Jaleo, now ... Read the full story

Bonhams has announced that it has been appointed to sell elected contents from the Café Royal, London. Over 120 lots from this historic establishment will go under the hammer on Tuesday 20 January 2009 at Bonhams Knightsbridge salerooms. Established in 1865, regulars of the Café Royal over the years include Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, Sir Winston Churchill, Cary Grant, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, Mick Jagger, Margaret Thatcher, Virginia Woolf, Muhammad Ali and Yul Brynner. The doors to the Café Royale will close ... Read the full story

A collection of toys including Dinky, Britains lead figures & models and other similar items, which were packed up in 1943 and not played with by the owners since, have been entered into the Charterhouse two day auction on Thursday 11th & Friday 12th December. “It is the best collection of lead vehicles and figures which I have seen in 25 years. Overall the condition is amazing with most items having clearly had a cared for. Usually, early lead items such as these have had a harsh life being played with, buried in the sand pit and blown up in ... Read the full story

A group of four WWI medal including the Distinguished Conduct Medal from a Dorset family are included in the two day collectors’ auction on Thursday 11th & Friday 12th December at Charterhouse in Sherborne. “The Distinguished Conduct Medal was awarded to Sergeant P Finlay of the Dorset Yeomanry for his gallantry during the Gallipoli campaign.” Commented Richard Bromell. “The vendor, who is the niece of Sergeant Finlay, has decided to sell this family group of medals knowing that it will go the home of a collector and there has already been a ... Read the full story

Zetabid, the pioneering firm redefining home auctions in the U.S., today announced that Christopher Connelly, a financial services executive with more than 20 years of experience, has been appointed Senior Managing Director of Zetabid. Connelly is responsible for Global Business Development at Zetabid. Together with a veteran sales team, Connelly will be managing relationships with financial institutions across the country and securing inventory for Zetabid auctions of bank- and builder-owned homes. “Chris Connelly is a proven and dynamic leader who has ... Read the full story

The lure of Hollywood’s Golden Age proved to be a tremendous draw on Nov. 9, as Heritage Auction Galleries Vintage Movie Poster Auction brought intense bidding from the Internet, the phones and the auction floor. The end result was an amazing $2.17 million total in prices realized, with a poster for one of 1930s Hollywood’s most opulent musicals leading the way. Flying Down To Rio, featuring the inimitable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, was a flamboyant, rare and simply gorgeous 1933 movie, and its equally amazing one sheet movie poster gaveled ... Read the full story

On November 19th, one of the most venerable collections of fine and rare manuscripts, books, broadsides and maps devoted to the City of Brotherly Love achieved more than $2.3 million at auction. Spirited bidding in a full room and a solid sold by lot rate of 77% belied the art market’s recent downturn and anticipates continued strong competition for exceptional books, manuscripts and works on paper. William Birch’s The City of Philadelphia, the first American color plate book, realized one of the highest prices for the evening, selling for $96,000. This ... Read the full story

Tennants three day Catalogue Sale produced a strong total of £1.8 million from 1936 lots, 20-22 November at The Auction Centre, Leyburn. After their busiest viewing period ever, the auctioneers were delighted by the reaction of their buyers – responding favourably to “fresh to the market” objects at sensible pre-sale estimates. In the face of a volatile stock market and low bank interest rates, antiques appear to be something pleasing and tangible into which to put money. Jewellery proved a credit crunch price “buster” with exceptional prices ... Read the full story

An important collection of forty-four first edition sculptures modelled by Salvador Dalí will be offered for sale at Bonhams Impressionist & Modern Art sale in New Bond Street on Thursday 11 December 2008. Dalí created the works in the sunshine of Port Lligat in Spain, where he and his wife Gala spent the summer. The collection was created for the company Diajasa owned by the Clot family, who were close friends with the artist. The collection is estimated at £750,000-1 million. Mr Clot is on record as saying, “the forty-four works of this collection ... Read the full story